by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A night raid by suspected Fulani militants in Bokkos County, Nigeria, left 11 Christians dead, including a pregnant woman, her husband, and a 10-year-old girl.
Survivors recounted a sudden 45-minute attack by suspected Fulani militants as mourners gathered for an 87-year-old elder, leaving the community in shock and grief.
Ruwi resident Tajot Stephen Alexander described the tragedy’s impact and the fear now gripping the village.“In the late evening, armed militants surprised us with their assault. We lost 11 valued lives, including a pregnant woman,” Alexander told International Christian Concern.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang condemned the attack as a “barbaric act against innocent lives.” In a statement via his spokesman Bere Gyang, he offered condolences and vowed justice. “This brutal assault is not just an attack on individuals but on our shared humanity. We will work tirelessly to ensure those responsible are brought to justice,” he said, stressing the need for stronger security statewide.
Over the past five years, Nigeria has faced a troubling wave of violence attributed to Fulani militants, with Christian communities often bearing the brunt of these attacks. The violence, rooted in long-standing herder-farmer tensions, has escalated into deadly assaults that have left thousands dead and deepened religious and ethnic divisions.
Among the most devastating incidents was the December 2023 massacre in Plateau State, where nearly 300 Christians were killed in coordinated attacks during the Christmas season. Earlier that same year, in April 2023, between 130 and 200 people were killed in Mangu, also in Plateau State. In April 2024, another brutal attack left 10 Christians dead—among them a pregnant woman—during Easter gatherings. These tragic events are part of a grim pattern of targeted violence.
Other major incidents include the June 2021 massacre of at least 40 people in Odugbeho, Benue State, and the 2018 attack on a church that killed 19 and left dozens of homes burned. Despite government efforts, the ongoing violence has exposed deep gaps in security and governance, leaving vulnerable communities calling for urgent action and protection.
In the 2025 Open Doors World Watch List, Nigeria is ranked 7th among the countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.
Despite intense persecution, the gospel continues to advance in Nigeria. Over the last twenty years, Christianity has grown steadily—from around 40% of the population in 2001 to nearly 50% today. In raw numbers, the Christian population has risen from an estimated 60 million in 2000 to about 96 million in 2020, with projections pointing to over 155 million by 2050.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
The United States is no longer requiring Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel as a condition for progressing civil nuclear cooperation talks, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters. This shift comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the kingdom next week.
Israel’s new humanitarian aid plan for the Gaza Strip aims to deliver supplies directly to families, but some international aid organizations are refusing to cooperate unless significant changes are made, two Western diplomats told The Jerusalem Post.
The United States and Israel are reportedly discussing a US-led transitional administration in Gaza to oversee demilitarization and stabilization after the conflict, according to Reuters, which cited five sources familiar with the talks. The proposed authority, modeled after the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in 2003, would operate without a set timeline, involving Palestinian technocrats but excluding Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
US President Donald Trump delivered a blunt ultimatum to Iran on Wednesday, warning that Tehran must either dismantle its nuclear facilities peacefully or brace for a forceful response.
Global debt rose by $7.5 trillion in the first quarter of 2025 to a record $324 trillion, driven by debt accumulation in China, France, and Germany, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF).
U.S. President Donald J. Trump advised the new Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, to “never say never” about his nation becoming the 51st state of the United States in a closely watched encounter at the White House.
Police in the Netherlands are investigating the killing of a Turkish mafia boss who reportedly had images implicating politicians of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s party AKP with financial wrongdoing.